In this hour-long lesson excerpted from Apple Pro Training Series: Logic Pro 8 and Logic Express 8, author David Nahmani explains everything you need to know to record MIDI in Logic. If you want to follow along on your Mac, however, you'll need to buy the book to access the related lesson files.

MIDI (the Musical Instrument Digital Interface) was created in 1981 to standardize the way electronic musical instruments
communicate. Today, MIDI is extensively used in the music industry, from cell phone ringtones to major-label albums. Most
TV and film orchestra composers use MIDI to sequence large software sound libraries, getting ever closer to productions that
sound like a real orchestra.

MIDI sequences can be compared to piano rolls, the perforated paper rolls once used by mechanical player pianos. Like the
punched holes in piano rolls, MIDI events do not contain audio. They contain note information such as pitch and velocity.
To produce sound, MIDI events need to be routed to a software instrument or to an external MIDI instrument.

There are two basic types of MIDI events: MIDI note events that trigger musical notes, and MIDI continuous controller (MIDI
CC) events that control parameters such as volume, pan, or pitch bend.

For example, when you hit C3 on a MIDI controller keyboard, the keyboard sends a Note On MIDI event. The Note On event contains
the pitch of the note (C3) and the velocity of the note (which indicates how fast the key was struck, measuring how hard the
musician played the note).

By connecting the MIDI controller keyboard to Logic, you can use Logic to route the MIDI events to a virtual software instrument
or to an external MIDI instrument. The instrument reacts to the Note On event by producing a C3 note, and the velocity determines
how loud the note sounds.

More Info

To learn more about the MIDI standard specification, visit the MIDI Manufacturers Association website at http://www.midi.org/.

Recording MIDI

In Logic, the techniques used to record MIDI are very similar to the techniques you used to record audio in Lesson 2. When
a MIDI controller keyboard is connected to your computer, and its driver is properly installed (some devices are class-compliant
and don’t require a driver installation), you can use that keyboard to record MIDI in Logic. Logic automatically routes all
incoming MIDI events to the record-enabled software instrument or external MIDI track.

TIP

If you don’t have a MIDI controller keyboard, press the Caps Lock key on your computer keyboard to turn your Mac keyboard
into a polyphonic MIDI controller keyboard. A representation of your computer keyboard is displayed, showing the letter keys
assigned to musical notes. The number keys allow you to choose the octave range, and the lower row of keys lets you choose
the note velocities. Keep in mind that you may need to disable the Caps Lock keyboard to access some of Logic’s key commands.

To record a MIDI performance triggering a software instrument, you need to create a software instrument track, insert an instrument
plug-in or choose a channel strip setting from the Library, and click Record.

Go to Logic 8_Files > Lessons and open the 04 Funky Groove_start project.

That project has a single audio track with a drum loop, which will provide a timing reference to record your new instrument.

At the top of the track list, click the New Tracks button (+) (or press Option-Command-N).

The New Tracks dialog appears.

In the Number field, enter 1. Select Software Instrument as the Type. Select the Open Library checkbox, and click Create.

When you play the first MIDI note, a new MIDI region with a red halo is created on the record-enabled Suitcase V2 track. The
region’s length constantly updates to include the most recent MIDI event played.